Abnormal Psychology Key Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, historical figures, models, cultural concepts of distress, assessment techniques, and neurodevelopmental disorders from Abnormal Psychology.

Abnormal Psychology

Focuses on psychopathology, the study of the symptoms and causes of mental distress and the various treatments for behavioral and mental disorders.

Mental Disorder

A syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.

Distress

Discomfort, pain, or suffering that satisfies the diagnostic criterion if the individual is extremely upset; can affect social, emotional, and physical functioning.

Deviance

Bizarre or unusual behavior representing an abnormal deviation from an accepted standard of behavior or social norm.

Dysfunction

Behaviors or feelings that prevent a person from functioning in daily life or interfere with performance of roles as a friend, employee, student, etc.

Dangerousness

Violence risk to oneself or others, including violent behavior such as suicide attempts or physical assaults.

Capgras Delusion

A neurobehavioral syndrome where a person holds a firm belief that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member has been replaced by an identical impostor.

Cotard's Syndrome

A rare mental illness in which the affected person holds the delusional belief that they are dead, do not exist, or have lost their internal organs or blood.

Alien Hand Syndrome

A rare neurological disorder in which one of a person's hands appears to take on a mind of its own and act autonomously without conscious control.

Exploding Head Syndrome

A sleep disorder (parasomnia) characterized by perception of loud noises (like a bomb exploding or gunshot) when waking up or falling asleep.

Prosopagnosia

Commonly known as face blindness; a neurological condition characterized by the inability to recognize familiar faces.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another; a severe form of abuse where a caregiver deliberately fabricates, exaggerates, or induces mental or physical illness in a person under their care.

Pica

An eating disorder characterized by the persistent craving and consumption of non-nutritive, non-food substances such as dirt, chalk, paper, or ice.

Diogenes Syndrome

A behavioral disorder characterized by extreme self-neglect, domestic squalor, social withdrawal, and compulsive hoarding.

Phantom Limb Syndrome

The ongoing perception of sensations (often pain, itching, or movement) coming from a limb that has been surgically or traumatically amputated.

Jerusalem Syndrome

A group of mental phenomena involving religious-themed obsessive ideas, delusions, or psychosis triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem.

Demonology

The belief in demonic possession, sorcery, and ancestral spirits as causes of abnormal behavior.

Trephining

An ancient surgical procedure used to release evil spirits from the head.

Exorcism

Ritualistic expulsion of evil spirits through prayers, emetics, flogging, and starvation.

Hippocrates

Father of Western medicine who viewed brain pathology as the cause of deviant behavior, emphasized heredity and environment, and classified mental illnesses into mania, melancholia, and phrenitis.

Johann Weyer

A pioneer who challenged beliefs about witchcraft and argued that many accused witches were mentally disturbed.

Philippe Pinel

Promoted the humane treatment of the mentally ill as part of the Moral Treatment Movement in the 18th and 19th centuries.

William Tuke

Established the York Retreat, focusing on kindness and psychological means of treatment for the mentally ill.

Benjamin Rush

Encouraged humane treatment and work therapy for psychiatric patients.

Dorothea Dix

Advocated for better conditions and reformed care in asylums and prisons.

Clifford Beers

Author of A Mind That Found Itself and founder of the National Committee for Mental Hygiene.

Wilhelm Griesinger

German psychiatrist (1817-1868) who believed that all mental disorders had physiological causes.

Emil Kraepelin

Psychiatrist who focused on the classification of mental illnesses and the development of diagnostic categories.

Diathesis-Stress Model

Explains that an inherited predisposition to develop an illness (diathesis) can be activated by environmental factors (stressors), resulting in a disorder.

Biopsychosocial Model

Indicates that interactions between biological, psychological, and social factors cause mental disorders.

Multipath Models

An integration of biological, psychological, social, and sociocultural influences that addresses the limitations of single-factor models.

Forebrain

The region of the brain responsible for higher-level mental processes.

Midbrain

Brain region involved with basic functions such as hearing, vision, motor movement, alertness, sleep/wake cycles, and temperature regulation.

Hindbrain

The most primitive brain region designed for self-preservation and survival; responsible for instinctive behavior, balance, equilibrium, and basic bodily functions.

Adrenaline

Neurotransmitter involved in fight or flight responses; produced in stressful situations to increase heart rate and blood flow.

Noradrenaline

Neurotransmitter affecting attention and responding actions in the brain by contracting blood vessels and increasing blood flow.

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure, addiction, movement, and motivation.

Serotonin

Neurotransmitter contributing to mood, well-being, and happiness, while helping regulate the sleep cycle and digestive system.

GABA

Calming neurotransmitter that slows nerve firing in the central nervous system, improving focus at high levels and causing anxiety at low levels.

Acetylcholine

Neurotransmitter involved in thought, learning, memory, muscle action activation, attention, and awakening.

Glutamate

The most common neurotransmitter; involved in learning, memory, and regulating the development and creation of nerve contacts.

Endorphins

Neurotransmitters released during exercise, excitement, and sex, producing feelings of well-being and euphoria while reducing pain.

Psychodynamic Models

Models that view mental disorders as the result of childhood trauma, anxieties, and unconscious conflicts.

Classical Conditioning

A form of learning where a neutral stimulus is associated with a natural response.

Operant Conditioning

A form of learning where a response is increased or decreased due to reinforcement or punishment.

Observational Learning

Learning that occurs through the observation and imitation of others.

Cognitive (ABC) Model

A psychological model where A stands for Adversity (negative event), B stands for Beliefs, and C stands for Consequences (feelings/behaviors).

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Involves making clients aware of cognitive distortions and negative schemas and then learning how to change them.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Focuses on using mindfulness meditation to cope with stress and reduce emotional reactivity.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Focuses on learning to notice, accept, and embrace uncomfortable thoughts and emotions associated with mental distress.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

A supportive and collaborative therapy involving cognitive-behavioral techniques and close therapist-client teamwork.

Humanistic Model

Focuses on bettering the state of humanity and helping people actualize their potential based on a belief in the inherent goodness of human beings.

Existential Model

Emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and responsibility, while acknowledging the inherent suffering, difficulties, and irrationality in life.

Ataque de Nervios

A Latinx cultural concept of distress marked by intense emotional upset, uncontrollable screaming, crying, trembling, heat sensations, aggression, and potential dissociative or fainting episodes.

Dhat Syndrome

A South Asian cultural concept of distress involving severe anxiety, fatigue, and somatic symptoms attributed to the loss of semen.

Hikikomori

A Japanese phenomenon of severe social withdrawal in adolescents or young adults characterized by complete cessation of in-person social interaction and confinement to a room.

Khyal Cap

A Cambodian culture-bound syndrome characterized by panic-like wind attacks, dizziness, palpitations, and the belief that a windlike substance is rising in the body.

Kufungisisa

A Zimbabwean (Shona) idiom of distress meaning 'thinking too much,' associated with rumination, anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints like heart pain.

Maladi Dyab

A Haitian cultural explanation attributing diverse mental and physical problems ('devil illness') to sorcery caused by interpersonal envy and malice.

Nervios

A Latinx idiom of distress referring to 'nerves,' presenting with headaches, neck tension, GI issues, sleep disturbance, irritability, and emotional vulnerability.

Shenjing Shuairuo

A Chinese cultural syndrome blending Traditional Chinese Medicine and neurasthenia, characterized by mental fatigue, feeling vexed (fan nao), nervous pain, and insomnia.

Susto

A Latinx culture-bound syndrome describing 'fright' or soul loss caused by a traumatic or scary event, leading to appetite and sleep issues, sadness, and somatic pain.

Taijin Kyofusho

A Japanese interpersonal fear disorder involving severe anxiety about offending, embarrassing, or pleasing others with one's physical appearance, body odor, facial expression, or gaze.

Psychological Assessment

The process of gathering information to understand traits, skills, abilities, emotional functioning, and psychological problems in order to form a psychodiagnosis.

Psychodiagnosis

The assessment and description of psychological symptoms aimed at identifying potential causes of psychological distress.

Mental Status Examination (MSE)

A brief evaluation of cognitive, psychological, and behavioral functioning assessing domains such as appearance, mood, affect, speech, thought process, and thought content.

Malingering

The intentional fabrication, feigning, or exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms to obtain a specific external benefit or reward.

Factitious Disorder

A mental health condition where a person deliberately fakes, exaggerates, or induces physical or psychological illness in themselves or someone else to get attention and care.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A group of conditions with onset in the developmental period characterized by developmental deficits or differences in brain processes that impair personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning.

Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD)

A condition characterized by deficits in general mental abilities (IQ of 70 or lower) and impaired adaptive functioning manifesting during the developmental period.

Global Developmental Delay

A diagnosis reserved for children under 5 years old when clinical severity levels of intellectual functioning cannot be reliably assessed via standardized testing.

Unspecified Intellectual Developmental Disorder

A diagnosis reserved for individuals over 5 years old when assessment of intellectual disability is rendered difficult or impossible due to sensory, physical, or severe behavioral impairments.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A neurodevelopmental disorder with onset before age 12, characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A neurodevelopmental disorder marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, alongside restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.

Dyslexia

A specifier for Specific Learning Disorder characterized by inaccurate or slow word reading, poor decoding skills, and reading comprehension hurdles.

Dysgraphia

A specifier for Specific Learning Disorder characterized by written expression impairments, including spelling errors, poor punctuation accuracy, and disorganized paragraph composition.

Dyscalculia

A specifier for Specific Learning Disorder characterized by math impairments, including weak number sense, calculation errors, and difficulty memorizing arithmetic facts.

Tourette's Disorder

A motor tic disorder characterized by the presence of both multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic for over 1 year.